A NEW €36 million headquarters building for the Office of Public Works (OPW) which is to cater for more than 300 staff and visitors was opened yesterday.
The four-storey building is circular in shape, with a full height central atrium and a civic plaza to the front. It is intended to create a focal point for the proposed new Trim town centre in Co Meath.
With more then 8,000sq m of space the building includes an exhibition space, archive storage, library, canteen and support functions. A suspended bridge crosses the atrium.
According to the OPW, the building was designed to be “the best-in-class” in terms of energy efficiency and has an A3 energy rating.
The building was designed to be naturally ventilated and the structure has been used to provide passive cooling in order to pre-cool the building before occupancy during the summer months.
The building has a 9,225sq m car park which caters for 348 cars and 64 bicycles.
The site was purchased from Meath County Council for €3.6 million and construction cost €32.2 million.
The contractor was Bennett Construction of Mullingar, Co Westmeath, and the building took 24 months to complete.
Speaking at the opening, Minister for Transport and local TD Noel Dempsey said the building would “set a standard for the design and build for future public buildings”.
He added: “The decentralisation of the OPW headquarters to Trim is tangible evidence of the Government’s commitment to the decentralisation programme and to balanced regional development, which, in my view, will bring substantial long-term dividends for the whole country including the public servants and their families.”
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